The term protective device is understood to mean an extinguishing device or a device for dispensing a cooling liquid. Since extinguishing liquids have a cooling effect, the term extinguishing agent is further also understood to mean a coolant. The term protective device refers both to mobile and portable devices such as fire extinguishers and stationary installations.
The invention is applicable wherever a protective device must reliably fulfill its function, even under the effect of vibrations, shocks, temperature fluctuations, acting external forces, forces of inertia and other influences.
This may be the case in moving objects, in particular driving, floating, or flying objects such as vehicles, ships or aircraft. In particular when the inventive protective device is installed in moving objects such as tour busses the functionality of the protective device is ensured even in the case of a change in the spatial attitude of the object, for example an accident (the bus turning over).
However the invention can also be applied to protect stationary objects that transmit vibrations and other effects to the protective device.
Protective devices for dispensing liquids (extinguishing agents or cooling liquids) usually use pressure tanks for storing the extinguishing agent. Pressure tanks are known in which there are elastic extinguishing agent balloons. A propellant gas ejects the extinguishing agent out of the extinguishing agent balloon and/or the pressure tank when released.
Various fire extinguishing installations are known for vehicles. For example EP 1 500 412 B1 describes a device for fighting fires in a motor vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, with an extinguishing liquid that is held in a state of readiness, a pressure source, and a spraying unit that serves to bring the extinguishing liquid to the scene of the fire using the pressure from the pressure source. The solution is characterized in that the extinguishing-pressure source is formed by the plant air that is present in one or more air reservoirs for vehicle operation in a vehicle, it being the case that additional feed pressure is applied to the extinguishing liquid in the case of a fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,016 A likewise describes a fire extinguishing installation for a vehicle, where a tank is securely installed in the vehicle and extinguishing lines lead to fire-extinguishing nozzles in various areas of the vehicle. An air tank provides for the corresponding compressed air to be discharged to the nozzles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,189 describes a fire-extinguishing mechanism, where a bladder is arranged in a container and holds a liquid, a gas that is also arranged in a bladder that is present below the liquid acting against this liquid and discharges it out of the tank that surrounds the liquid.
Fire-extinguishing installations are known with fire-extinguishing tanks in which elastic extinguishing agent balloons are arranged.
DE 946 684 describes a fire extinguisher with a pressure tank in which a bag is disposed that contains a foam-generating agent. When a gas cartridge above it is opened this leads to the bag being destroyed and an extinguishing liquid exiting into an extinguishing line. The fire-extinguishing process therefore presupposes the destruction of a bag by mechanical forces.
DE 28 38 341 describes an extinguishing agent balloon for fire extinguishers, in whose rigid interior a container made from an elastic metal or rubber is arranged, one container being filled with an extinguishing agent and the other with a compressed gas and a pressure accumulator being arranged outside the container.
Between the containers a screen body is present that prevents arbitrary expansion of the elastic container.
WO 98/13292 A1 describes a pressure tank in which a liquid is arranged in an elastic liquid container. This elastic liquid container can also serve as a seal. It can be arranged in a rigid container that represents a lateral boundary. This liquid-permeable component is not elastic. Also no elastic fluid-permeable component is arranged on a fluid-permeable part or on the floor of the pressure tank. An extinguishing agent for a fire-extinguishing installation is not described in this document.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,945 describes a container for a liquid in which an elastic container is disposed, the liquid being dispersed through an opening. The elastic container that does not represent any extinguishing agent balloon is in part formed as a seal.
GB 2 431 455 A describes a pressure tank in which an elastic liquid container is arranged, the elastic liquid container being filled with an extinguishing liquid and being surrounded by a propellant gas. Part of the elastic extinguishing agent balloon is formed as a seal. Stabilizers, elastic fluid-permeable components cannot be derived from the document.
DE 102 29 011 A1 describes a fire extinguisher, in particular a fire-extinguishing device that can be carried by hand for fighting a fire preferably in aircraft. The fire extinguisher exhibits a mixing chamber arranged at the container in which the extinguishing agent and the propellant gas can be combined and the extinguishing agent and the propellant gas can be expelled into the open in a nozzle connected to the mixing chamber.
In the extinguishing agent balloon itself a hose is arranged with helical windings in which the extinguishing agent is situated. Around the hose the propellant gas is disposed that drives the extinguishing agent out of the hose. By stabilizing the hose or the elastic extinguishing agent balloon a certain stability of the hose material is assumed or that the propellant gas surrounding the extinguishing agent balloon provides the requisite stability.
Disadvantages of these solutions are that when fitting such extinguishing agent balloons on vibrating objects to be protected, when changing the attitude of the extinguishing agent balloon that is connected to a moving object to be protected and/or on a deformation of the outer extinguishing agent balloon it is not guaranteed that the functions will be preserved.
By vibrations and forces acting on the extinguishing agent balloon and/or a change in attitude as they can be encountered for example when using them on a machine or in a means of transportation, in the case of known solutions the elastic inner extinguishing agent balloon can rub against surrounding parts and thus experience wear and be damaged. Similar effects can occur as a result of changes in volume of the elastic extinguishing agent balloon due to temperature changes if the fluid contained therein expands or contracts. If a fluid that cannot be compressed or can be compressed only little such as water is stored in the elastic extinguishing agent balloon and the device is to be used in a greater temperature range of e.g. 4° C. to 90° C., then either an expansion space must be present between the elastic inside container and the non-elastic outer pressure tank or the outer container must be of an extremely pressure-safe design. However such a free space would make possible the undesired relative movements between the inner elastic extinguishing agent balloon and the outer non-elastic container.
It is therefore the objective of the invention to develop a simple protective device for mobile and stationary objects and apparatus that guarantees discharge of the extinguishing agent as intended even under the influences of vibrations, shocks, temperature fluctuations, forces of inertia and changes in attitude, among others.